Song of the Day: Oats In The Water (by Ben Howard)

Posted on November 10, 2013 by Arleigh

The Walking Dead may not be what some critics as great television. Hell, it’s been called boring, pandering and badly-written. It’s popularity has eluded detractors and supporters alike. There’s one thing the show has consistently done well and that’s pick licensed songs to help highlight particular episodes.

Tonight’s episode, “Internment”, is another such episode with a perfectly picked song. This time around the song is “Oats In The Water” by British singer-songwriter Ben Howard.

The song enters the episode as part of the calm which followed one of the most tense and terrifying sequences of the season. Whoever is in charge of licensing songs for this song needs to get a raise because it’s definitely been a highlight of each season.

Oats In The Water

Go your way,
I’ll take the long way ’round,
I’ll find my own way down,
As I should.

And hold your gates
There’s coke in the midas touch
A joke in the way that we rust,
And breathe again.

And you’ll find loss
And you’ll fear what you found
When weather comes
Tear him down

There’ll be oats in the water
There’ll be birds on the ground
There’ll be things you never asked her
Oh how they tear at you now

Go your way,
I’ll take the long way ’round,
I’ll find my own way down,
As I should.

And hold your gates
As coke in the midas touch
A joke in the way that we rust,
And breathe again.

And you’ll find loss
And you’ll fear what you found
When weather comes
Tear him down

There’ll be oats in the water
There’ll be birds on the ground
There’ll be things you never asked her
Oh how they tear at you now

Trailer: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Sneak Peek)

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Arleigh

“The lord of silver fountains,

The King of carven stone,

The King beneath the mountain

Shall come into his own!

And the bells shall ring in gladness

At the Mountain-king’s return,

But all shall fail in sadness

And the lake shall shine and burn.”

Today, over in NYC a special fan event for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug was held which introduced a new one-sheet poster (look above), but also premiere a 3-minute sneak peek trailer to the second entry in The Hobbit Trilogy.

To say that this extended trailer is a vast improvement to all the previous teasers and official trailers for this second film in the prequel set would be an understatement. It still shows the film as being much more darker in tone than the book source it’s being adapted from, but it definitely shows a film that looks and feels much more put together than the first film (still just an assumption, but I have hopes I’ll be correct).

We see more of Luke Evans as Bard the Bowman who looks to fit in rather well instead of looking “too modern” as some feared he would look. I like how the trailer uses the poem, “The King Beneath the Mountains”, but in an altered form to make it sound like it was a prophecy. I know purist will probably rail and scream to anyone who will listen that this wasn’t how Tolkien wrote the poem. If they haven’t figured out by now that these film adaptations have been altering the written work to better fit the story then what have they been watching over the past decade.

I, for one, can’t wait for this middle film in the trilogy to finally come out and come out it shall on December 13, 2013. I saw the first film in every format and watch it in all format I shall for this one as well.

Happy Halloween From The Shattered Lens!

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Dazzling Erin

Happy Halloween From the Shattered Lens!

Congratulations to the Boston Red Sox: 2013 World Series Champions!

Posted on October 30, 2013 by Dazzling Erin

I never thought I’d be rooting for the Boston Red Sox to win the World Series. I love my Texas Rangers, even though they’ve broken my heart twice now by falling apart in September. When the Rangers lost the wild card spot to the Rays, I thought I might be done with baseball for the year.

However, as I watched the World Series, the Red Sox won me over. It helped that former Ranger Mike Napoli is on the team. It also helped that they were playing the St. Louis Cardinals, a team that showed themselves to have absolutely no class when they beat the Rangers in the 2011 World Series.

The Cardinals managed to win two games but the outcome of the World Series was never in doubt. Everyone watching knew that this was Boston’s year and the Red Sox easily dominated the Cardinals. The team earned this victory by playing outstanding baseball. Even more importantly, the city of Boston earned this victory by showing everyone in America what being strong truly means.

Tonight, when Koji Uehara got that final out, we were all Boston Strong.

My Visit to the New York Comic Con 2013

Posted on October 20, 2013 by Leonard Wilson

Imagine a place where you can see all of your favorite comic book heroes and heroines, argue over whether organic web shooters are better than classic ones, and witness creativity on so many different levels. The New York Comic Con was a 4 day spectacle of pop culture madness mixed with tons of cosplay. I only picked up a ticket for Saturday, but I really have to one day shoot for a 3 or 4 day pass next year.

I think I may have made 4 passes through the interior and exterior areas of the hall, and for every pass there was something new to catch your eye. There was a Transformers booth with some of the classic toys that was a treat. Kotobukiya was on hand with someone their great pieces. The Psylocke one in particular was really sweet. Also on hand were various fantasy sword manufacturers, somewhat surprising in New York given how much security we have here. Clothing, toys, books, drawings. You name it and chances are that you’d run into someone creating a print – like Destiny Blue’s beautiful art.

I was basically there for to use my camera, which didn’t really work out the way I planned. Between the bustle of the crowds (which was immense) and also trying to snap pics with my phone…they kind of came out a bit blurry. I made the mistake of adjusting the shutter speed to get the exposure right, meaning that in some cases the speed was so low that the slightest nudge or shift would blur the image. The next Con will be better, apologies all around.

I met cosplayer VampyBit.me (Linda Le) at her booth, picking up a Nightwing print which she autographed for me. She is so tiny and cute! Somehow in the course of being there, I missed out on seeing Ivy Doomkitty. She happened to be located just off of the Marvel booth. Speaking off the Marvel Booth, Chris Clairemont was on hand, signing pictures and comics. Additionally, Coulson’s car from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was also there, though of course no one was able to touch it.

So, without further ado, I give you my picture set for the NYCC 2013. These are some of the better ones. The full set is visible on my shared Flikr Page. Enjoy.

R.I.P. Basil and Cecilia Oravetz

Posted on October 7, 2013 by necromoonyeti

You wanted to give us a big surprise on our 5th wedding anniversary, but you were born just a week too soon to survive. Mommy and Daddy will always love you.

Hottie of the Day: Hayley Atwell

Posted on September 24, 2013 by Arleigh

HAYLEY ATWELL

With the release of Iron Man 3 to video we get a new look at one of Marvel Studios’ popular character in Agent Peggy Carter. She’s played by the very lovely Hayley Atwell.

Ms. Atwell is an English actress who burst into the scene taking on the role of Agent Peggy Carter for 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger. She totally owned the role and fans, both old and new, have been wanting more of her ever since. While it was her role in Captain America that finally got the rest of the world to notice her she was already a known commodity in both English and American television.

Her work ranged from shows and tv films such as The Duchess, Pillars of the Earth, Mansfield Park and The Prisoner. Yet, it always be her role as Agent Carter that fans will remember her most for now.

Her popularity doesn’t just stem from the fact that she’s drop-dead gorgeous in the old-school, 40’s glam sort of way, but also for the fact that she exudes a sense of confidence and toughness in the roles she plays without having to sacrifice her femininity and sensuality. She looks like she belongs both in the here and now and still just at home as a leading lady in a 40’s noir film.

Here’s to hoping that plans for Marvel Studios to give Ms. Atwell her own tv series based on her Peggy Cater role comes to fruition as that means we’ll be seeing more of her.

PAST HOTTIES

Hottie of the Day: Roxanne McKee

Posted on September 16, 2013 by necromoonyeti

ROXANNE MCKEE

Game of Thrones is a series about power, and it has never been inclined to tone down the sources from which power is derived. With that in mind, David Benioff and D. B. Weiss were tasked with the not so unpleasant challenge of recruiting a number of highly attractive women willing to take most or all of their clothes off. Canadian-born Roxanne McKee was one such cast member, playing the role of servant and seductress Doreah.

Before the lovely Ms. McKee was conspiring with Xaro Xoan Daxos to steal Daenerys’ dragons, she graduated from Royal Holloway, University of London, and won a talent contest which landed her a spot in the British soap opera Hollyoaks. Her acting career has since landed her a variety of supporting roles, including a handful of horror films. Like our last featured hottie, Michelle Ryan, McKee has also played a role in EastEnders. She seems to have a bright future ahead of her.

PAST HOTTIES

Anime You Should Be Watching: Nichijō

Posted on September 4, 2013 by Arleigh

Anime comes in many varying degrees of flavor, so to speak. On one extreme are some of the more dramatic and serious offerings such as Grave of the Fireflies and original films from Miyazaki and others from Studio Ghibli. On the other side of the equation would be what some would call disposable entertainment which could range from fantasy, horror, mecha to the ever-popular mahou shoujo (aka Magical Girl) anime.

Somewhere in-between these two extremes is where some surprising anime series and films tend to pop out of nowhere to become fan-favorites in the industry. One such series is the underrated “slice-of-life” anime simply called Nichijō. The title has a literal translation of “Regular Life” and the show takes that concept of the regular lives of high school girls and adds a dose of the irreverent and the ridiculous to help highlight some of the life lessons that actually resonate beneath the show’s more over-the-top trappings.

That reason alone should be why this is one anime that people should really be watching.

Yet, the show brings more to the table than just funny and entertaining little stories. The main characters of the show are also well-written and go beyond the usual one-dimensional stereotypes of most anime. We have Aioi Yuko who one would consider as the lead girl of the show. One would think that she would be the so-called “straight man” in a show full of eccentric characters, but she herself brings her own quirks to the proceedings. These character quirks comes out more clearly when she deals with her friend Mio who, at first, comes off as the otaku of the show, but actually seems more like your typical high school girl with a talent for art. Though her obsession at drawing yaoi and trying to keep it secret makes for some of the more hilarious scenes on the show.

Even the more over-the-top characters on the show come off as more fully developed than some of the live-action “high school” shows in the west. There’s Hakase, the 8-year old genius girl who happens to have Nano, a life-life android she herself created, taking care of her and acting more like her mother than as an automaton. This pairing makes for my favorite on the show which also includes their back cat Mr. Sakamoto who also happens to talk due to the red scarf that acts like a translator that Hakase invented.

The series ended after 26-episodes and no more were ordered afterwards due to some very low sales of the subsequent video. It’s a shame since the series has since gained quite the following. Nichijō is a series that’s been able to combine the more serious and well-meaning life-lesson storytelling of your typical high school shows with the manic and ridiculous nature that some anime tend to have to help visualize particular reactions and emotions (in reality this show makes over-the-top seem like a tame description). The show has so many classic scenes that watching it becomes almost an exercise in abstract comedy.

So, if you ever come across an anime called Nichijō I recommend you check it out. You won’t be disappointed. Below is just one such scene where a normal, everyday event turns into the surreal.

Hottie of the Day: Michelle Ryan

Posted on September 4, 2013 by Arleigh

MICHELLE RYAN

In 2007 there was an attempt to reboot the Bionic Woman TV series and leading up to the series’ debut the buzz was great. When the show finally aired the series was unable to deliver on the hype that was built around it. The series didn’t last the year, but it did introduce a young British actress to the US audience by the name of Michelle Ryan who has since made a career in British tv.

Michelle Ryan has starred in such popular shows across the pond such as the soap opera EastEnders and such geek fan-favorites as Doctor Who and Merlin. After the disappointment that was Bionic Woman she now returns Stateside by having a recurring role in the popular USA Network spy drama Covert Affairs. In 2011 she even starred in a kick-ass role as a zombie-slayer in the zombie-comedy Cockneys vs. Zombies which actually turned out to be better than what the title would suggest.

With social media and the entertainment news cycle being they way it is now compared to 2007 I wouldn’t be surprised if Ms. Ryan finally ends up breaking through in the US and I wouldn’t doubt that the date and location of such a break out will probably by at next year’s mecca to all things genre, Comic-Con 2014. Until then better check Michelle Ryan out while she’s playing Stateside.